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Guelph Ribfest is running short on volunteers as the annual event approaches. Expected to draw about 40,000 people this summer, organizers are hoping to recruit more than 400 volunteers for the event, which runs from August 23 to 25.
Debbie Stanley, volunteer chair coordinator, said there were a number of reasons holding them back from seeking help.
“Past volunteers, especially students, have grown up and are now in college. They no longer need the hours of high school, so now we are trying to screen new high school students,” Stanley said.
She said recruiting more volunteers was also a challenge because the event was held in the summer, when people are usually away on vacation.
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Stanley added that volunteers are the lifeblood of the event and without them, organizers wouldn’t be able to put on Ribfest.
“It always blows my mind no matter what the event is, not just Ribfest but all the great events in this amazing city of ours, how many wonderful Guelph volunteers we have and how much we need to be able to accomplish something like this,” she said.
Those positions include classic car show hosts, venue set-up and tear-down workers, licensed bartenders and helping customers sort their trash.
In addition to offering some different, unique characters, Stanley said vendors will also be offering food at a discount as a token of appreciation.
Ribfest will be held from August 23 to 25, and she hopes to have enough volunteers signed up by August 19.
If not enough people sign up by then, she said, they will ask volunteers currently helping to work longer shifts as a contingency plan.
“Ideally, if we could get all the volunteers to sign up the Monday before Ribfest, I would have enough time to schedule shifts,” she said.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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